The integration of sustainable development in for-profit public service networks in France. The case of the postal and energy fields (GDF, EDF)

For-profit public service networks increasingly incorporate sustainable development objectives. This vital concern occurs in a situation of generalised competition in which demands for profitability are increasingly important. This study concerns the way in which the issue of sustainable development fits into the strategies and activities of these services. By adopting a conventionalist approach, this study looks in particular at the innovations involved in these activities to respond to sustainable development objectives, whilst respecting the constraints of profitability and public service linked to their business. The results show that these activities develop sustainable development indicators, either in a mimetic approach, or in an innovative approach. They also develop innovations that allow social elements to be reconstructed in their services. These innovations try to reconcile the conflicting objectives of the different spheres of sustainable development